Hall of Fame
Ronald Murphy came to KSU in 1968 as a sprinter with multiple talents. Running every sprint race well, from the 60 yard dash to the 600 yard dash, made Ronald one of the most valuable and versa-tile runners on a team full of great talent.
Ron was a member of a team that was called the “Fantastic Five”. This group of individuals includes two KSU Hall of Famers, Steve Jordan and Richard (Dick) Garrett, plus Allen Pickston and Charles Stallworth. This group of outstanding runners along with Ronald, went to the NCAA Division II Track and Field Championship on June 12, 1971 at the Sacramento State Hornet Field and did the impossible. They became the first and only track and field team at KSU to win the National Championship. To this date no College or University in the Commonwealth of Kentucky has ever won a track and field NCAA National Championship, leaving this KSU team in a class of its own. They pulled off, what many considered, the biggest upset in the NCAA college division history as the accumulated 42 points to outscore the 23-man team from University of California Poly.
Ron was a member of the 440 yard relay and one mile relay teams. He and his four teammates were elected to the NCAA College Division All-American team. He was a three time NCAA Division II All-American and earned four athletic letters during his four years at KSU.
He was the 1972 United States Track and Field Federation Midwest Indoor College Division 600 yard Champion held at Ohio State University. He will always be known as a member of a fearsome foursome that collectively won relay’s everywhere they went. In 1968-69 and 1969-70, the one mile relay team won consecutively at the Mason Dixon Games. This event was one of the premier indoor invitational in the country, held in Freedom Hall, Louisville, KY.
Academically, Ron was just as good as he was on the track. He was twice awarded the Athletic Highest Scholastic Achievement Award in the 1969-70 and 1971-72 seasons.
Ronald spend the majority of his career in the United States Air Force. He was given a direct com-missioned as a First Lieutenant in 1982. He served in the Persian Gulf War – Operation Desert Shield. In 2002, after 20 years of serving faithfully and honorably for our country, he retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. He was awarded nineteen decorations and citations during his service.
Ronald is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity – Alpha Upsilon Chapter. He continues to sup-port KSU and is a longtime active and loyal member of the KSU K-Club.
He is retired and currently resides in Loveland, Ohio.
